Nuno Espirito Santo Sets Premier League Goals for Arne Engels
Nuno Espirito Santo has made it clear: West Ham’s record Championship signing Arne Engels has not arrived just to light up the second tier. He has been bought with the Premier League firmly in mind.
The 22-year-old Belgian, a £22m arrival from Celtic, is expected to make his debut against Charlton on Saturday and walks into a club that sees him as a pillar of a long-term rebuild rather than a short-term spark.
“He’s a fantastic player,” Nuno told BBC Radio London. “We were happy that we were able to get Arne with us.”
At Celtic, Engels built an impressive résumé. Seventeen goals, 22 assists, 100 appearances in two years. Numbers that explain why West Ham were prepared to break their Championship transfer record and why Nuno is already talking about him as a central piece of the project.
A midfielder for the journey back
Nuno is not dressing it up. If West Ham are serious about climbing back to the Premier League, the squad has to look like it belongs there.
“He’s a very talented player, who gives us a lot of options in the midfield area,” the Portuguese coach said. “He’s someone we truly believe who is going to come in, step in and help us. He’s a good midfielder and has all-round ability, technique, talent, and he’s a hard worker.
“All the players who have joined us, the vision is much, much further, so if our ambition is to go back to the Premier League, we have to sign players who we believe can be there also.”
That is the standard now. Engels is not being signed as a luxury; he is being asked to set the tempo for a side that wants to escape the grind of the Championship.
Fresh firepower: Mukasa and Piroe return
The rebuild does not stop in midfield. Nuno has also moved to sharpen his attack.
England Under-19 striker Divine Mukasa is back at West Ham, rejoining on loan from Manchester City for the season. The forward, who knows the club and its demands, adds youthful energy and a different threat in the final third.
Alongside him, Dutch forward Joel Piroe has arrived on loan from Leeds, another proven operator at this level who can carry a goal burden and stretch defences.
The pattern is clear: variety, not volume.
“We should have different profiles in different positions. It’s about having a squad that gives us all the possible options and solutions,” Nuno said. “It’s not about numbers, it’s about profiles and in the end, what we want to achieve is to have a very balanced squad.”
Engels as the creative hub, Mukasa as a livewire option, Piroe as a seasoned finisher. If West Ham’s recruitment matches Nuno’s rhetoric, the question is no longer whether they are building for the Premier League – but how quickly this squad can prove it belongs there.
